1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to post hole auger apparatus, and more particularly to a hydraulically driven post hole auger apparatus for attachment to the implement lifting mechanism of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous arrangements have been proposed for attaching post hole auger apparatus to the rear end of a vehicle such as a farm tractor as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,521. To the best of the present applicant's knowledge, such prior vehiclemounted post hole auger apparatus was driven from the mechanical power take-off of the vehicle and further involved unnecessarily complicated linkage for raising and lowering the auger assembly.
It has also been proposed to mount post hole auger apparatus on a supporting arm of front end loader apparatus which is pivotally connected to a tractor and extends forwardly therefrom as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,327,789. While such apparatus has employed a hydraulic motor for driving the auger, removal of the front end loader component from the supporting arms was necessary. Further, to the best of the present applicant's knowledge, interchangeability of the post hole auger apparatus from rear end mounting to front end loader mounting was not provided.
It is therefore desirable to provide hydraulically driven post hole auger apparatus adapted for ready mounting on the rear of a vehicle such as a tractor or a utility truck for movement by the power lifting mechanism of the vehicle or, alternatively, for ready mounting on an arm of other apparatus such as front end loading or back hoe apparatus.